The UN confirmed Thursday the findings of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine (the Commission) regarding the deportation and transfer of 1,205 children from Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine. The Commission was established in 2022 by UN Human Rights Council resolution 49/1 to urgently investigate a range of allegations in Russia. The mandate of [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) confirmed Tuesday that an al-Qaeda-linked armed group summarily executed 10 long-haul truck drivers and two teenage apprentices in late January in southwestern Mali as part of the group’s attack on a fuel convoy, and deemed the acts “apparent war crimes.” HRW called on the Malian government to “seek assistance from the [...]

The chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) published a statement Monday condemning attacks in the Persian Gulf that he said violate international law and threaten regional stability. Chairperson HE Mahmoud Ali Youssouf expressed “deep concern” over attacks on energy and transportation infrastructure, including an incident that occurred Saturday, when Israeli airstrikes hit Iranian oil [...]

Canada and South Korea signed a new defense agreement Wednesday, setting the legal framework for a deepened alliance. Defense ministers Ahn Gyu-back  of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and David McGuinty of Canada met alongside foreign affairs officials for both countries. In a joint statement, the countries described political and legal motivations behind the partnership, stating: [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Thursday that Greece is “under fire” for a law targeting aid groups, following a “damning critique” published by five UN experts. The experts warned a Tuesday letter to the Greek government that the law would unduly restrict the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The UN experts, led by Mary Lawlor, Special [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned Wednesday that the president of Angola, João Lourenço, should not sign a new bill into law, as it could result in serious human rights violations. This bill was passed on January 22 with 106 votes in favor and 77 votes against. The rights organization expressed concern that this law would [...]

UNICEF published a statement Thursday expressing deep concern with the detention of children in Iran amid ongoing public unrest. The statement, by UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder, stresses several key issues. First, the number of child detainees, and conditions they face, have not been available. Secondly, Beigbeder detailed the [...]

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a special report Thursday containing Palestinian journalists’ first-hand accounts of torture in Israeli prisons. The stories come from 59 testimonies of released journalists. Forty-eight of them were never charged with a crime, but detained under Israeli policies allowing six-month detentions without charge, renewable indefinitely. Others were charged with [...]

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) decided Thursday to maintain its position on Sudan’s membership suspension, and identified key steps towards peace. The PSC stressed the severe humanitarian crisis in the country, citing starvation, systematic killings, and mass displacement of civilians, as well as the targeting of particular ethnic groups [...]

Amnesty International released a statement Wednesday announcing that they are a part of an appeal to Slovenia’s Constitutional Court seeking to end “punitive seizures” of social assistance disproportionately affecting the Roma community. The case was filed by the Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy, a coalition of four non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The case responds [...]